Samplitude 11 Producer: Part 1

Samplitude 11 Producer is a Multitrack Recording Software Application, and is the latest version of what used to be called “Magix Music Studio Deluxe” and subsequently “Samplitude Music Studio”. Music Studio Deluxe started out as two separate programs–MIDI Studio and Audio Studio. Starting with version 12, they combined the MIDI recording functionality into the Audio Studio and renamed it “Samplitude Music Studio”. They kept this name up through version 15 here in the US. They also released a version 16 in Europe, but it was never released to the US market.

Speaking of version numbers, in addition to name changes, Magix has also gone through a few rounds of changes with their method of versioning as well. At certain times in the past, they have used the same version numbers in both the US and European markets. However, when they included the year as part of the version number, the US always appeared to be one year behind. Therefore, at times, they’ve changed the version # for the US market to be a more arbitrary version # (based on the release number, I presume).

Starting in the year 2013, they changed the name to “Samplitude Music Studio 2013”, and each year thereafter, they simply use the release year as the version number (e.g. Samplitude Music Studio 2014, Samplitude Music Studio 2015, up to the current version as of my last edit to this article: Samplitude Music Studio 2020). To summarize, as near as I can figure, starting with Version 2000, here is how the versions have broken out over time and in the two major markets:

Europe US/UK
Music Studio 2000 Music Studio 2000
? Music Studio Deluxe 6
? Music Studio Deluxe 7
Music Studio Deluxe 2004 Music Studio Deluxe 2004
Music Studio Deluxe 2005 Music Studio Deluxe 2005
? Music Studio Deluxe 10
? Music Studio Deluxe 11
Samplitude Music Studio 2007 Samplitude Music Studio 12
Samplitude Music Studio 2008 Samplitude Music Studio 14
Samplitude Music Studio 15 Samplitude Music Studio 15
Samplitude Music Studio 16 N/A
N/A Samplitude 11 Producer
N/A Samplitude 11.5 Producer
Samplitude Music Studio 17 Samplitude Music Studio MX
Samplitude Music Studio (YEAR) Samplitude Music Studio (YEAR)

Whatever name you’d like to call it by, past users have known for years that they were basically getting a “lite” version of Samplitude (which is one of the top-dog DAW’s on the market) for a fraction of the price. Magix is a German company, and they also produce a lot of off-the-shelf software that you might see at Best Buy (MP3 Maker, Movie Edit Pro, etc.), but don’t be fooled. It may not be all that well-known in the United States, but this software is one of the best bargains you’ll find in a DAW for a home or project studio.

For an added bit of history, I’ve been using this product for about 20 years now, starting with Music Studio V2000. I found it in the bargain software bin at a local entertainment store for a whopping $5. I was totally new to computer-based recording, but after tinkering around with it for a short while, I was up and running. Over the years I upgraded to Music Studio Deluxe Version 6, Music Studio 2004, Music Studio 2005, Music Studio 10, Samplitude Music Studio 12, Samplitude Music Studio 14, and now Samplitude 11 Producer. As a longtime user, I can confidently say that Samplitude 11 Producer is without question the most feature-packed and stable version to date.

Now that we’re finished with the history lesson, let’s talk about Samplitude 11 Producer (I’ll abbreviate it “S11P” from here on out). S11P is actually the result of combining the best-of features from what was formerly two distinct products: Samplitude Music Studio and Samplitude SE (yes, another product/version). Samplitude SE was a bargain-basement-priced, no-frills version of the professional-grade Samplitude line, whereas Samplitude Music Studio was geared slightly more for the “pro-sumer” market. Oddly, Samplitude SE had stricter limitations on the simultaneous inputs/outputs (4 Stereo/8 Mono) than Music Studio (8 Stereo/16 Mono). It also didn’t include some of the extra music-making goodies that were included in Music Studio such as several nice VSTi’s and a few other “synth object” instruments. However, it did have a lower price tag.

Now, to cover some of the features of S11P. As previously mentioned, with S11P you can have up to 16 simultaneous inputs and outputs (depending on your sound card of course), and up to 64 tracks in a single project. The software mixer is very easily laid out, and the application supports VST, Direct X, and Rewire. It will record either 16-bit or 24-bit Wav files and has Track Freeze and Un-freeze, which is great for freezing MIDI tracks to free up CPU power. It also has some great built-in effects (EQ, Compression, Reverb, etc.), including a useful Mastering Suite for putting the final touch on your mixes. I could go on, but if you’re interested, you can read the complete list of features on the Magix website (just click on the banner below).

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll actually get into covering some of the highlights of this package in detail.


Shop for Samplitude ProX or Producer at Magix.com:

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2 Comments

  1. I’ve been using Magix Music Maker 2005 deLuxe since, well, ’05.
    I’ve found it to be quite powerful for entry-level DAW software- actually better than its follow-ups in that it supports VST plugins. I’ve also found that the harder I push it, the more unstable it becomes- buffer tweaks notwithstanding. I’m looking into upgrading to Samplitude with high hopes that it will remain user-friendly like my MMM as well as my Movie Edit Pro 14 apps. But I certainly hope that it’s more stable. I’ve reloaded MMM countless times over the last couple of years as I’ve learned more in the way of computer recording.

  2. Jon (admin) says:

    I’ve never used Music Maker, but I am familiar with the product. The way I understand it, Music Maker is geared more for loop-based production, whereas Samplitude Producer/Music Studio is more for full-on audio and MIDI recording and editing. You mentioned VST plugs in Music Maker–I believe that there’s also a “Producer” edition of Music Maker that does support VST’s. So you might consider it, if you’re comfortable with the workflow in Music Maker. I’m sure that changing over to Samplitude Producer would be an adjustment, but most of Magix’s programs use similar conventions, so I’m sure you’d be up and going without too much trouble. As for stability, I was actually getting a lot of “Lost ASIO Buffer” messages on a brand new Dell system runing Samplitude Music Studio 14. I loaded the trial version of Samplitude Producer 11, and no more Lost ASIO Buffers. That was one of the motivating factors for me upgrading. I also used to get occasional BSOD’s running MS14 on an older system, but I’ve had none in Sam 11 Producer. So in my opinion, it’s very stable.